photo Matjaž Kačičnik

general overview | resource documents | contacts

 

General Overview

 

Recent cases of media freedom violations in Slovenia are generated by the media ownership situation, and by the role of the state in the media sector. It is also consequence of the established relations between the media and the politics.

 

The media ownership situation is result of the specific model of privatization implemented after the break of socialism in early 1990s. The model enabled the state to keep significant portion of ownership in privatized companies through state-controlled funds. In past 15 years the media privatized according to that model, especially national daily newspapers, have been subject of constant trade with ownership shares mostly on the basis of political interests and under influence of  political parties in power.

 

At the same time the public service broadcasting has never finished transformation from state controlled broadcasting, being, especially on the basis of last regulation (from 2005), easy target of control and influence of the political groups in power.

Also the distribution of advertisements of the state controlled companies have been used by political groups in power, most obviously in the period of the actual government, to support loyal and penalize critical media.

The main press agency STA is completely owned by the government; the actual government appointed for general manager of the agency in 2007 an advisor in the Prime Minister cabinet, whose appointment was followed by the change of the chief editor and editorial policy.

 

The problems concerning media freedom and journalists' autonomy in Slovenia have escalated between 2005 and 2007 around the controversial media regulation changes and takeovers of several daily newspapers, the public service radio and television and the press agency. In those media the governing bodies, managers, editors and reporters, mostly those reporting politics, home affairs, foreign affairs and security have been in many cases replaced by the professionals reliable to the political parties in power. In the period of politically motivated takeovers of the media many journalists have been exposed to censorship, pressure, degradation, to formal and informal sanctions. In number of cases, especially in those taking place in the biggest daily Delo, professional associations of journalists have been engaged in legal defense of professional autonomy and labor rights of journalists.

 

Such developments caused in 2007 the petition of more than 570 journalists against censorship and political pressure in the media in Slovenia, which was sent to more than 300 political institutions and the media all over Europe. It led the Prime Minister to initiate a vote of confidence in the Parliament.

Most recently the next wave of changes of management and editors is taking place in the most exposed media, being initiated by media owners whose relations with the Government and the Prime Minister meanwhile became hostile.

The pattern of relations between the politics and the media which enables political parties in power to make deals with owners of main news media in Slovenia, achieving editorial changes, have been evidently revealed in the period of the actual government. Taking into account that the actual government consist of right-center political parties which won elections in 2004 after 12 years of left-center governments in Slovenia, it is possible to interpret the recent problems with media freedom and autonomy of journalists in Slovenia by saying that the harmful pattern of relations between the politics and the media has been there for years but became more visible and destructive due to changes of political elites in power.

 

2006 changes of media regulation have introduced stricter rules on right of reply which contribute to restriction of editorial freedom. 2005 changes of regulation of public service broadcasting caused major conflicts and have been approved at referendum with very tight vote in favor of the regulation. Introduction of increased involvement of the parliament and the government in appointments of the governing bodies of public service radio and television has been criticized by several European organizations, including the Council of Europe.

 

Beside problems arising from relations between politics and the media, also conflicts between journalists and publishers have had negative impact on media freedom and autonomy of journalists in Slovenia. Disagreements concerning collective agreement for journalists and employment policy of publishers (which is increasingly preferring temporary contracts and fake freelance arrangements) caused even journalists' strike on the elections day in October 2004. The disagreements despite negotiations haven't been solved yet.

 

With regard to legal conditions for the work of journalists it is important to mention that defamation is defined as both civil and criminal offence. The penal code determines sanctions for such criminal offence even in the form of penalty of imprisonment for up to one year. In principle, the liability lies with the author or journalist, unless he or she is unknown, in which case the liability lies with the editor or the particular media entity. The upper limit of civil compensation is not defined by law. There have been proposals to limit or abolish the criminal liability of journalists in Slovenia, however recent initiatives to amend the penal code don't include such solution. 

Under the provision of the media law editors, journalists and other authors who publish in the media are protected from disclosure of sources. However, it is not possible to appeal for the protection of the source of information in penal proceedings.

Recently the Supreme Court sentenced the state to pay compensation to a journalist whose list of phone calls was reviewed by the police several years ago without the court order, after he refused to disclose his source.

Access to information of public character is regulated by a special law which grants everybody a right to obtain any information in the public sector, except information that is specifically excluded by this law. Journalists have the same rights with respect to access to information of public character as other citizens; however, media regulation amended in 2006 determines a shorter period for obtaining information for journalists (7 days instead of 20).

 

 

Resource documents

 

             

Contacts  

 

Ms. Brankica Petković, researcher, Peace Institute

T: +386 1 234 77 27

M: +386 41 86 30 31

E: brankica.petkovic(at)mirovni-institut.si

I: Peace Institute, MediaWatch, Media Ownership, Media for Citizens, Patterns of Political Instrumentalisation and Clientelism in the Media in SEE

 

Ms. Špela Stare, secretary general, and Mr. Grega Repovž, president, Slovene Association of Journalists

T: +386 1 426 03 63

M: +386 41 749 359 (Špela Stare)

E: generalni(at)novinar.com

I: www.novinar.com 

 

Mr. Iztok Jurančič, president, Slovene Union of Journalists

T: +386 1 426 03 66

M: +386 41 343 304

E: sns(at)siol.net

I: www.novinar.com 

 

Ms. Sandra Bašić Hrvatin, professor, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences

T: +386 1 580 52 43

E: sandra.hrvatin(at)guest.arnes.si

 

Mr. Blaž Zgaga, co-initiator of the Petition of Journalists, journalist of daily Večer

E: zgaga(at)amis.net

 

Mr. Matej Šurc, co-initiator of the Petition of Journalists, journalist of Radio Slovenija

E: surcm(at)yahoo.com

. 

 .

Additional Contacts - Media Professionals:

 

Mr. Miran Lesjak, editor-in-chief of daily Dnevnik

Organization: Dnevnik daily newspaper, Kopitarjeva 2-4, SI-1000 Ljubljana

E: miran.lesjak(at)dnevnik.si

T: +386 1 30 82 300 (office)

 

Mr. Ali Žerdin, editor of Saturday supplement of daily Dnevnik

Organization: Dnevnik daily newspaper, Kopitarjeva 2-4, SI-1000 Ljubljana

E: ali.zerdin(at)dnevnik.si

T: +386 1 30 91 540 (office), M: available throught contact person of the Human Rights Press Point

 

Mr. Janez Markeš, editor-in-chief of daily Delo

Organization: Delo daily newspaper, Dunajska 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana

E: janez.markes(at)delo.si

 

Ms. Saša Vidmajer, writer of editorials on foreign affairs at daily Delo

Organization: Delo daily newspaper, Dunajska 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana

E-mail: sasa.vidmajer(at)delo.si

T: +386 1 473 71 32

 

Mr. Peter Frankl, editor-in-chief of daily Finance

Organization: Finance daily newspaper, Dalmantinova 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana

E: peter.frankl(at)finance.si

T: +386 130 91 540

 

Mr. Tomaž Ranc, editor-in-chief of daily Večer

Organization: Večer daily newspaper, Svetozarevska 14, SI-2504 Maribor

E: desk(at)vecer.com

T: +386 2 23 53 141

 

Mr. Boris Jaušovec, journalist at foreign desk of daily Večer

Organization: Večer daily newspaper, Svetozarevska 14, SI-2504 Maribor

E: boris.jausovec(at)vecer.com

M: +386 40 526 520

 

Mr. Miha Lampreht, Head of International Relations Department of RTV Slovenija

Organization: Radiotelevision Slovenia

E: miha.lampreht(at)rtvslo.si

T:  +386 1 475 21 57

 

Mr. Dejan Steinbuch, CEO Advisor, former editor-in-chief of Žurnal

Organization: Ljubljana office of Styria Media International AG, publisher of Žurnal and Žurnal24, Bravničarjeva 13, SI-1000 Ljubljana

E: dejan.steinbuch(at)zurnal24.si

T: +386 1 280 27 00, M: +386 41 419 419

 

 

Additional Contacts - Media Experts:

 

Mr. Dr. Jože Vogrinc, Professor of Media Studies at the Faculty of Arts, Department of Sociology

Organization: Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana

E: joze.vogrinc(at)ff.uni-lj.si

T:  +386 1 241 11 32, M: +386 31 433 001

 

Mr. Dr. Marko Milosavljević, Chair of Journalism, Department of Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences

Organization: Faculty of Social Sciences, Kardeljeva ploščad 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana

E: marko.milosavljevic(at)fdv.uni-lj.si

T: +386 1 580 52 53